


Code Birthday

by Blizzard_Fire



Series: Brucemas 2020 [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Birthday Fluff, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Human Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Wingman Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27617668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blizzard_Fire/pseuds/Blizzard_Fire
Summary: Tony texted him.What do you think? Pretty cute, right?Bruce texted back.Pretty cute, but on a different continent. I think he's out of my league.There was a confused pause.I was talking about Pepper. Who are YOU talking about?Bruce groaned.Doesn't matter. Happy birthday, Tony.Omg. You and Jarvis would be perfect for each other. You both have a shitty mug collection!! Did something happen before I joined the call? Did I cockblock my science bro???Bruce put his phone on silent and went to make another cup of tea.Bruce has a crush on Stark Industries’ bug-fixer from the UK. Jarvis is everything he could want, but when’s the right time to take the plunge and meet up in person?
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Jarvis (Iron Man movies)
Series: Brucemas 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020373
Comments: 7
Kudos: 38
Collections: Brucemas 2020





	Code Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Brucemas Day 5: Any pairing (Bruce/JARVIS), Birthday
> 
> I _had_ to include a Green Screen story here! Since beginning my multichapter fic _[Bruce Banner's Guide to Romancing an AI](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24185989/chapters/58254643) _it’s become my OTP. It’s a super rare pair, but Bruce and JARVIS are both highly intelligent characters with a similar sense of humour. And I just HAD to have Paul Bettany!JARVIS in here somewhere. I started writing this pair just as a niche thing and now it’s an OTP. Why am I like this. Happy Birthday, Bruce!
> 
> *realising that JARVIS is technically English so I can project my tea-drinking habits onto him* My time has come

The _Doctor Who_ theme tune echoed through the tiny apartment until Bruce knocked the phone off the table and it clattered to the floor.

He cursed and picked it up. ‘Tony?’

‘Hey, green bean.’ There was a smile in Tony’s voice. ‘You busy? Or should I give you the abridged version of my worries and woes?’

‘Uh, the abridged version might be best for now.’ Pinning the phone between his shoulder and ear, Bruce crouched down on the kitchen floor to clear up the papers he’d just dropped.

‘Work still busy, huh?’

‘Yeah, understatement.’

Bruce and Tony had been roommates during college and had clicked immediately. Even after they went their separate ways – Tony to New York to run his company, Bruce to Ohio to continue his studies – they still spoke at least once a week. Usually to moan about work.

As Tony complained about budget meetings and deadlines, Bruce stared at his mound of paperwork and felt his own stress levels rise. He knew what he had to say, had been thinking about it all week, but it didn’t make it easier.

When Tony had gotten him up to speed and asked how his day was going, Bruce sighed. ‘Tony… I’m really sorry, but I don't think I can make it over for your birthday.’

‘Oh. Okay. That’s okay.’ There was disappointment in Tony's voice, but understanding too. 'Maybe you can come up in a month or two, when things have settled down?'

‘It’s just – work's been really intense, and I'm just a couple weeks away from getting the gamma project up and running... Betty's been working herself into the ground and I keep telling Jane to take more breaks – '

'Bruce,' Tony said gently, 'it's fine. I promise. It's been a little nuts here too, with the company expanding so fast. And this is a really big deal for you. You're saving lives, buddy.'

Bruce stared gloomily out of the window. 'I'll send your present in the mail.'

‘I was actually thinking of having one great big virtual birthday party. Rhodey's still recovering after his car accident and Thor's back home having some family drama... hey, you can finally meet Pepper! It'll be great. Yeah, we're doing it.'

A virtual party was certainly easier than making the eight-hour drive, so Bruce agreed. After some back-and-forth on the group chat, Tony picked a time that suited everyone.

On the afternoon of May 29th, Bruce brewed some tea whilst he waited for his laptop to boot up then sat down at the kitchen table. It took some persuading to warm up. He clicked on the link Tony sent him and was met with... a blank screen. Trust Tony to be late for his own birthday.

Someone joined the call and then Bruce was staring at a lanky, fair-haired man in a shirt and tie. 'Good evening,' he said in a polished English accent. For a moment Bruce wondered if he was about to read him the news. 'We're the only ones on time, it seems.'

Oh god, he'd have to make small talk until someone else joined. To stall for time, he took a sip of tea.

'I like the mug,' the man said approvingly.

Bruce looked down. He'd picked out his favourite mug, a gift from Darcy with a slogan that read: _Think like a proton and stay positive!_

The man held his own up to the camera. It was a little blurry, but he could make out a series of 0s and 1s 'It says “hello” in binary. My cousin Friday found it amusing. I have something of a collection.'

Bruce smiled. 'Me too. Coffee's the fashionable thing to drink, but I prefer tea.'

'Me too!' he said, delighted.

They stared at each other for a long moment, pleased to be united in their beverage preferences. Then the man said, 'I don’t suppose – ‘

'I'm heeeere!' Tony's face popped up on screen. Beside him was a smiley woman with ginger hair. 'You guys start without me? What did I miss?'

One by one, more faces crowded the window until Bruce's mugmate was shrunk to the corner of the screen. He recognised most of them: Rhodey was in bed at home, Thor, Loki and Hela were all crowded around Thor's phone camera, Natasha lounged on a beanbag, Steve and Bucky waved from the back of a car and Clint was in his backyard. There were others, too: friends of Tony’s that Bruce didn’t recognise.

Tony went around introducing everyone and finally got to Bruce's fellow tea-drinker. ‘…and this is my good buddy Jarvis. He’s a software engineer-slash-coding wizard for the company.'

Jarvis stifled a yawn. ‘You make it sound so grand, sir. I just like playing with code.’

‘You’re too modest, you’re amazing. And I’ve told you not to call me sir. Next time you’re in the states, I'm buying you a beer.'

Despite the low quality of the webcam, Jarvis visibly blushed a little. ‘Slip of the tongue. It’s 11pm in London at the moment.’

That explained why he'd said "good evening". Something deflated in Bruce. Trust him to take a liking to someone on a different continent.

The call went well, even if it was a bit chaotic. Clint's dog stole his phone and for five joyful minutes his camera window became POV footage of Lucky running around the house. Pepper was really nice, and she and Tony seemed a good fit for each other.

The call ended with a chorus of Happy Birthday, horrifically out of sync thanks to everyone's laggy connection. Jarvis didn't speak for most of the call, but as everyone waved goodbye and logged out Bruce's gaze lingered on the man with the binary mug. Then the screen went dark and he was alone again.

His gaze wandered back to the pile of paperwork and he wished desperately to be in New York celebrating with Tony. He sipped his now-cold tea and sighed.

Tony texted him. _What do you think? Pretty cute, right?_

Trust Tony to have picked up on that. He texted back. _Pretty cute, but on a different continent. I think he's out of my league._

There was a confused pause. _I was talking about Pepper. Who are YOU talking about?_

Bruce groaned. _Doesn't matter. Happy birthday, Tony._

_Omg. You and Jarvis would be perfect for each other. You both have a shitty mug collection!! Did something happen before I joined the call? Did I cockblock my science bro???_

Bruce put his phone on silent and went to make another cup of tea.

Weeks passed. Bruce's work became increasingly demanding closer to the deadline, and eventually he was working twelve-hour days to get the research done in time.

They were two days from deadline when Bruce's laptop died.

'Bruce,' said Betty quietly, 'please tell me you made backups.’

Bruce put his head in his hands. Four years of painstaking work. The gamma project would revolutionise medicine and had countless applications... and if they missed this deadline it would never see the light of day. He felt sick.

‘You need a new laptop dude,’ said Darcy, poking at the keys, ‘I keep telling you that.’

They tried everything but Bruce's laptop was well and truly bricked. In the end, his colleagues had to go back to work and try to make up for the data loss. But they wouldn't make it. Not in two days.

Bruce called Tony in a panic. ‘I don’t know what to do,’ he blurted as soon as Tony answered. ‘It just died on me. All my work Tony. I can’t get it back. We were so close to getting this done and I ruined it...'

‘Okay woah, hey, slow down. I’m sure it's fixable. Deep breaths, buddy.'

Bruce sniffed and scrubbed at his eyes, pacing around the lab. 'If I lose the data, we're screwed. God, I should have gotten a new laptop years ago.'

'Bruce. It'll be okay. I'm going to put you through to one of my team. He's great with computers, he'll sort it out. And if that doesn't work, call me back and we'll try something else. Okay? Hang tight.’ And he hung up.

Bruce was about thirty seconds away from a panic attack when his phone rang again. 'Hello?'

‘Doctor Banner? It’s Jarvis. We met on Mister Stark’s birthday call a few weeks ago.’

‘Oh. Y-yeah.’ Damn you, Tony.

'I understand you're having some computer problems.'

Bruce forced himself to take a deep breath. 'My laptop's died. I need the data back, even if the rest of it's fried.'

'If it's an older machine there might be a problem with the components inside. What model is it? And do you have a screwdriver?'

Over the next forty-five minutes, Jarvis talked him through the process on speakerphone. Bruce felt like he was performing surgery whilst a doctor gave instructions, but Jarvis' voice had a soothing quality that kept him grounded.

Eventually, the error was tracked down to a loose wire inside. Once pushed back in, the laptop came to life. ‘Oh my god, it worked!’ Bruce laughed incredulously. ‘I thought I’d lost everything, thank you so much.’

‘Any time,’ said Jarvis, sounding a little tired.

'Wait, what time is it over there?’ Bruce checked his watch. It was 9pm.

‘Two in the morning but it’s quite alright.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ Not only had he had a nervous breakdown in front of the cute IT guy, he'd also woken him up.

'Not to worry. I read up on your research, by the way. Much of it went over my head but it's clearly very important. I'm glad to have helped.'

He laughed. 'You really saved me. Thanks.'

'Any time, Doctor.'

'You can call me Bruce,' said Bruce, then winced. Real smooth, Banner.

'Alright,' said Jarvis, and there was definitely a smile in his voice. 'All the best with your research, Bruce. And goodnight.' The call disconnected.

As Bruce stared numbly at his laptop, he realised what Jarvis had said. ‘He read up on me?'

Despite the setback, they finished the project before the deadline and were able to present their research and get the grant (the alternative was selling out to the military, and no one was keen on that idea). A few days later, he got a text.

_Congratulations on your research. Tony told me the good news._

As he stared at it, wondering who it was from, another message appeared.

_Don’t forget to back up your work! J_

Smiling, Bruce added Jarvis to his contacts. That evening, he started looking for a new laptop. It seemed only natural to ask for Jarvis’ opinion, and discussions on RAM and specs eventually turned to books and movies. They both liked sci-fi, though Bruce was more of a dystopian fan whilst Jarvis preferred space epics. They messaged back and forth until Jarvis went to sleep at 5pm.

When Bruce ordered his new laptop, he picked one with a good webcam. Just in case.

The next day Jarvis sent him a friend request on Facebook, and from there it progressed to games of online trivia and exchanging book recommendations. They messaged almost every day for several weeks, and despite the time zone difference there was a reasonable window where they overlapped.

There was clearly a connection happening here. Bruce's heart fluttered every time his phone pinged, and their playful banter became flirtatious banter until one day Jarvis called him.

‘I really like you,’ he said when Bruce picked up. ‘I know this isn’t ideal with us being so far away, but…‘

‘I like you too.’ Bruce stared out of his bedroom window. It was midday here, but in the UK the sun would be setting. ‘It doesn’t have to be complicated. I’d… like to see where this goes.’

Despite the distance, it was perhaps the easiest relationship Bruce had ever had. They said their good mornings/nights, called on lunchbreaks, went on virtual “dates” and watched movies together. Tony was ecstatic when he found out. It turned out he’d been encouraging things on both sides, and had been helping Jarvis work up the nerve to call Bruce.

It was Bruce's idea to mail letters to each other. Jarvis’ handwriting was neat yet disjointed; Bruce particularly liked how his b’s and d’s looked like song notes. For Jarvis’ birthday, Bruce sent him a mug that said _You are the {CSS} to my <HTML>._

They traded favourite books. Bruce sent him American candy, and Jarvis sent him English teabags: PG Tips and Tetley and Yorkshire Tea. A little different to Bruce's preferred green tea, but he found himself developing a taste for the stuff. He drank it at work too, which inevitably led to questions.

When he finally told his colleagues about it, Jane was a little sceptical. 'So he's your boyfriend, but you haven’t actually met yet?'

'No, not yet.' Bruce busied himself with the microscope.

'But he _is_ real, right?' said Betty, breezing through with an armful of equipment. 'We just want you to be safe, Bruce.'

Bruce rolled his eyes. 'Yes, he's real. Why would a scammer send me boxes of _tea_?'

'You guys are way past that though, right?' Darcy winked and nudged him. 'You've been dating for five months, you've had a webcam sausage party by now, right?'

'Darcy!' said Jane.

Bruce blushed.

‘You have! That's my guy.' She patted him on the shoulder. ‘Hey, come help me with these samples...'

The truth was, Bruce had considered broaching the topic of visiting but it never seemed the right time. Was five months long enough to be serious? It certainly felt serious, but he’d never been in a long-distance relationship before and he didn’t want to put pressure it. Every phone call and text conversation ended with an “I love you”, so why did a physical meeting feel so scary?

One night, Jarvis fell asleep during their video call. For a while Bruce just gazed at him, this sweet and gentle soul on the other side of the world, and wished he was there too. He wanted to brush the fringe off Jarvis’ forehead and move his cold cup of tea off the bedside cabinet so he wouldn’t knock it over in his sleep. Tiny things that most people took for granted.

‘I want to meet you,’ he said the next day, on the phone.

‘Me too,’ said Jarvis softly. ‘When should we do it?’

As it turned out, finding a date to suit them both proved to be impossible. Stark Industries was branching out in the UK, which meant Jarvis was up to his eyes in bug-fixing. Bruce's schedule was always crammed, even now that the first phase of his project was completed.

Bruce's birthday was on December 18th, and they’d hoped to meet up around then, but it was not to be.

‘I promise we’ll sort something out,’ Jarvis said a few nights before, over video call. ‘I’m sorry. It might have to be in the new year, but I’ll get to you somehow.’

‘It’s okay,’ Bruce told him, even though it didn’t feel okay. ‘We’ve made it this long, I’m sure we can last a few more months.’

Jarvis smiled sadly. ‘I’m still going to sing to you. Make sure you do something fun!’

Bruce promised that he would. On the morning of the 18th, he had a birthday breakfast with Darcy, Jane and Betty (Darcy had made a cake shaped like an atom). Tony made it down by the afternoon, and the five of them wandered through the city. Christmas was in the air, and there were little markets selling hot chocolate and spiced coffee. It was starting to get dark; Jarvis would probably be getting lunch. He texted to ask how it was going.

‘Anywhere else you wanna go, big guy?’ Tony clapped him on the shoulder.

‘Not really.’ Bruce smiled. It had been a good birthday, one of the best he’d had in fact. ‘Thanks for coming up, I know you’re busy these days.’

‘Hey, never too busy for you.’ Tony shot him a grin before pulling out his phone.

He sighed a puff of chilly air. ‘I guess I should probably be getting home – ‘

‘Nope!’ Darcy burst out.

Betty said, ‘Um, we need to try those donuts over there!’ and they scampered off towards one of the stalls.

Bruce frowned at Jane. ‘I smell a conspiracy.’

Jane stared back innocently. ‘Smells like donuts to me.’

Bruce wasn’t a fan of surprises but whatever it was, he wasn’t getting out of it. He checked his phone. Jarvis hadn’t replied.

Tony looked as if he was waiting for something. When the girls returned with steaming paper bags of chocolate donuts, he cleared his throat. ‘Before we all go our separate ways, someone wants to meet the birthday boy.’

Bruce's heart sank. ‘it’s not another stripper, is it?’ He still hadn’t recovered from Tony’s last birthday “surprise”.

His friends were all smiling at him. Tony took him by the elbow and turned him around to face the crowds of people milling under the giant Christmas tree in the square. Then he pointed.

‘What? What am I looking for?’ Bruce scanned the crowd: a sea of hats and scarves. ‘Tony, I don’t – ‘

Someone was walking towards them: a gangly, fair-haired man with the biggest smile he’d ever seen…

Bruce drifted towards him in a daze, unable to believe that this was real, this was happening. He had so many questions, but they all fizzled away as Jarvis strode up to him, threw his bag down and swept him into a hug.

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Bruce stuttered, his forehead pressed against Jarvis’ shoulder.

‘I’m so sorry I’m late, I was supposed to be here yesterday but my flight was cancelled. It was all very last-minute.’ It was so strange to hear his voice in person, so clear after months of tinny phone calls. ‘I would have told you, but I didn’t know myself until a few hours before I left.’

Bruce drew back to look at him – look _up_ at him. ‘You’re… you’re so tall,’ was all he could think to say.

Jarvis laughed. He was even more handsome in person, and a lot frecklier than on the webcam. His warm breaths made clouds in the winter air and his cheeks were pink with the cold. ‘Happy birthday,’ he said softly, a gloved thumb brushing across Bruce's cheek. His eyes were the blue of a winter sunrise.

Their first kiss was sincere and sweet, a gentle press of lips. Jarvis’ cold nose pressed into Bruce's cheek, and Bruce's hand tangled in his scarf. He couldn’t believe he was here.

When he finally drew back, he saw his friends watching from afar. It looked as if Darcy had filmed the whole thing on her phone. Tony just winked and gave him a thumbs-up.

‘Were they all in on this?’ Bruce asked, curling a hand around Jarvis’ slim waist.

‘Mister St – Tony arranged it. I brought my work things, so if there’s an emergency back home I can code from here. I might be able to sort out a more flexible working arrangement – most things can be done virtually. But for now…’ He held Bruce's face in his hands and kissed him again. ‘I’m here for two weeks.’

Bruce's heart soared. ‘Plenty of time to get to know each other,’ he said teasingly, and was gratified to see him blush faintly. Then a thought occurred to him. ‘Shit, I haven’t tidied my apartment!’

Jarvis just laughed. ‘Come on, I’ll buy you a hot chocolate. I’ve always wanted to try churros…’


End file.
